Get Caught up on 'Jujutsu Kaisen' Season 1 With Our Quick Recap

After a lengthy two-year hiatus, Jujutsu Kaisen is officially back with a second season. Adapted from the ongoing manga series by Gege Akutami, the anime series initially premiered in early October 2020. It would go on to garner critical acclaim and win several awards for achievements in animation. Its subsequent popularity has since propelled it to "Big Three" anime status, and the show even went on to debut in theaters with Jujutsu Kaisen 0 in 2021, which was a record-breaking box office hit.

Season 2 began streaming on Crunchyroll on July 6, 2023.

But with so much time having passed between the first and second seasons, you'd be forgiven if you forgot some of the key details about the first installment. If you need a refresher on all the important parts from the first 24 episodes, here's a recap of Season 1 events in Jujutsu Kaisen.

The series kicks off with Yuji Itadori, an athletically-gifted high school student. Spurred by the passing of his grandfather to use his strength for good, Yuji inadvertently runs to Megumi Fushiguro, an up-and-coming Jujutsu sorcerer in search of a finger from a powerful demon named Ryomen Sukuna. As malevolent spirits called "Curses" come into the mix, Yuji ends up joining Megumi's quest. However, Yuji ends up eating the finger in an effort to avoid having it fall into the wrong hands.

He is subsequently possessed by Sukuna, but is miraculously able to retain his humanity. Despite Megumi's doubts, his teacher Satoru Gojo arrives and takes them both in.

An organization of Jujutsu sorcerers initially deems Yuji too dangerous to be kept alive, but Gojo convinces them to allow him to live so that he may find the rest of Sukuna's twenty fingers. They even have him eat the other five they have on hand, which Yuji is still able to resist.

Yuji is then enrolled in the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College, where he learns how to harness his new powers alongside Megumi, another prodigal first-year named Nobara Kugisaki, and several other trainees.

As part of their training, they seek out powerful Curses while also hunting down Sukuna's fingers. All the while, Sukuna has moments where he is temporarily able to assume control of Yuji's body.

Yuji and his companions continue to get stronger, with Yuji defying death in exchange for Sukuna's occasional freedom to use Yuji's body as he pleases. He eventually meets Junpei Yoshino, a student from Satozakura High School who inadvertently befriends an especially-gruesome Curse named Mahito.

Meanwhile, the Jujutsu sorcerers begin investigating Curses who are revealed to be former humans. They are eventually linked to Mahito, who has the power to reshape souls.

Mahito knowingly manipulates Junpei and even violently transforms his body in a subsequent fight against Yuji. Mahito barely manages to get away before Yuji can deliver the final blow, and Yuji deeply mourns Junpei's death. Mahito then meets with other curses who aim to collect the rest of Sukuna's fingers and free him from Yuji's body.

Attempting to press forward, Yuji reunites with his friends for the first time following his supposed death. They join up just in time for a competition between the Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu schools. However, the Kyoto students ambush Yuji under orders from the elders to kill him before his power grows.

Yuji ends up befriending one of the Kyoto students in the middle of the competition.

The two schools trade wins and losses with the competitors getting stronger along the way. However, Mahito and his colleagues is able to steal some of Sukuna's fingers while the sorcerers are distracted by the fight.

As the sorcerers try to recover from the loss, Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara investigate a string of mysterious deaths that took place at Megumi's old middle school. The Curse in question is not only still at large, but also threatens Megumi's stepsister.

Megumi is made to face this Curse alone after Yuji and Nobara are forced to take on two Death Paintings, half-human half-curse beings. Megumi is able to attain new power after he defeats the Curse and even finds another finger in the process.

Meanwhile, Yuji and Nobara defeat the Death Paintings, but feel intense guilt over having killed humans.

Having overcome much as new students, the season ends with Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, and their companions being promoted to Grade 1 Sorcerers.

Ready to see what happens next in Jujutsu Kaisen? New episodes premiere every Thursday on Crunchyroll.